According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 2,189.7 km² (845.5 mi²). 2,186.9 km² (844.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (0.13%) is water.
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| South Koochiching Unorganized Territory | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 1990-2000 Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Percent | |||||
| Population | 900 | 363 | 289 | 267 | -22 | -7.61 |
| Land Area (sq. mile) | 159.40 | 848.50 | 844.34 | 844.38 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| Density (persons per sq. mile) | 5.65 | 0.43 | 0.34 | 0.32 | -0.03 | -7.62 |
| Housing Units | 436 | 226 | 400 | 408 | 8 | 2.00 |
| Households | -- | 129 | 123 | 121 | -2 | -1.63 |
| Persons Per Household | -- | 2.81 | 2.35 | 2.21 | -0.14 | -5.94 |
There were 121 households out of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the unorganized territory the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 118.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.0 males.
The median income for a household in the unorganized territory was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $35,417. Males had a median income of $37,188 versus $15,938 for females. The per capita income for the unorganized territory was $16,295. About 2.2% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.3% of those sixty five or over
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It is not known exactly when Wildwood Township was organized but it was in the very beginnings of the 1900s. Since it was such a long distance to travel to Northome, the John Bursack home was sort of a gathering place.
To reach the Bursack home you would go 14 miles East on No. 1 to where the Wildwood road intersects and follow this road north 1¼ miles and a little east again. It was at this location that John started the Post Office. At first it was in his home; Later he built a separate building for the post office and also because people were always in need of things he started a store.
John would walk to Northome every week to get the mail - just to get the post office started. After three months of these long treks to and from Northome the mail was brought in three times weekly.
The first school was built in 1906 just a short distance east of the Store and Post Office. Miss Earley was the first teacher.
In 1910 the little log school house gave way to a frame structure that became Wildwood Social Center. This building was constructed 1 mile north on the Wildwood Road off No. 1.
The year 1915 brought about the building of the Wildwood Hall. This hall then became the meeting place of this very active, wide awake community.
April 16, 1931, the school house burned down completely; caught from a brush fire near by. The children were all able to get to the Ettestead home and luckily no one was hurt.
School was then held in the hall for 6 years until in 1937 the children were bussed to Northome and Mizpah.
Wildwood is still quite an active community. For the past eight years, the first Sunday in August, an old settlers picnic is held at the hall. The 1976 picnic had this to say about this little community. "Annually, the first Sunday in August, the descendants of the original homesteaders gather at either the Dahlgren Brothers or the Ellison home. This year's was at the Ellison on Caldwell Brook. It was the former homestead of the late Mr. & Mrs. Ole Nelson. Mts. Nelson, then Miss Anna Norgren, filed on the homestead in 1903 or 1904. She later married Ole Nelson, who was a street car conductor in Minneapolis. The building on the present site is not the original homestead as that burned in the big forest fire in 1910. They lost all their belongings plus a neat sum of cash.
That portion of the river where the Ellison vacation home is, on the north bank, could well be called, "the old swimming hole". Frequently in the by gone years, some of the older people as well as the young went there to wade, swim or just to bathe.
Mrs. Nelson's coffee pot was always hot (on the old wood range) and many happy and enjoyable hours were spent there in, "the good old days."
Henry Ettestad is the oldest resident still residing on his old homestead. He settled there in 1902. Bertha Ettestad has resided on her place since 1913. Other old timers still out there are the Dahlgren Brothers. Franz Logdahl was the oldest settler attending. Others were Henry and Anna Ettestad, Bertha Ettestad, Ellen Carlson, Don & Anna Estabrooks, Verna Logdahl, Edna Savich, Allen Porter, Ella Sorquist, and Clara (Bursack) Bender.
One hundred and forty-six signed the 1976 guest book. A quilt raffled off, with the proceeds to go to the Wildwood Cemetery Fund, was won by little Carla Nordby of Brainerd.
From the Northome Area Bicentennial Book, 1977
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